Cellphone Scandal Hits Council Chambers

City Councilors are not supposed to use cellphones during meetings. Jeremy Denlea says councilors are using them, and he wants repercussions.

Last month's hot topic during an Attleboro City Council meeting was when councilors take their bathroom breaks. This week it was whether councilors were using their cellphones during meetings, violating an unofficial rule set by council President Frank Cook banning the use of cellphones by councilors and audience members during meetings.  Councilor Jeremy Denlea alleged Monday night that some of his colleagues were "texting, emailing and playing games during every meeting." He at first did not specify names, but later pointed at the two men who sit to his immediate right at the horseshoe table—Richard Conti and Jonathan Weydt. Weydt said he was "very upset and disgusted" by the allegation. Denlea immediately responded that he sees Weydt …

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Rich

5:26 pm on Friday, May 24, 2013

Think you hit the nail on the head about Mr Weydt.   more ›

Councilor Rips ARA, Board Members Fire Back

Leaders disagree on whether ARA board members should have made a presentation to the city council and whether the board members gave enough notice saying they would not do it.

Attleboro city councilors did not hold back their frustration Tuesday night when no Attleboro Redevelopment Authority board members appeared for a planned presentation of updates on various development projects. There was disagreement on whether board members gave adequate notice they would skip the meeting, but this did not appear to change the bigger picture that councilors said they should have been there and ARA board members said they had good reason to delay a presentation. Councilor Richard Conti, the council's liaison to the ARA and chair of the committee on capital improvements & city development, announced toward the beginning of Tuesday's council meeting he had received an email from Judy Robbins, ARA chair and former mayor, the…

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Denlea Is First Official Council Candidate

The councilor is seeking a second term as the representative of Ward 5.

City Councilor Jeremy Denlea has taken care of business early to get his name on the ballot for Attleboro's fall election. The Ward 5 representative became the first official candidate Friday when he returned his nomination papers to City Hall with the required number of signatures, which were certified by the Election's Department. Denlea is seeking a second term as the Ward 5 councilor. In an email to Attleboro Patch, he wrote he was proud of contributing to several city government accomplishments during his first term. "Working with the city administration and fellow councilors to help curtail overly enthusiastic parking enforcement officers and to approve bonds for a new animal shelter and a new AHS track and field facility are …

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Councilors Spar over Revising Attleboro Laws

Councilor Shannon Heagney wants a committee to review the city's ordinances for possible revision. Council President Frank Cook says he needs to talk to the mayor about that first.

A proposal for a City Council committee to review Attleboro's ordinances and determine if any could be removed because they are out of date or conflict with state laws turned into a 30-minute debate Tuesday night between two councilors. Councilors Shannon Heagney and Jeremy Denlea proposed that a council subcommittee review the municipal laws for possible changes. Usually when a councilor makes a proposal, Council President Frank Cook determines which committee (whether it be an existing one or a new one) should review it in preparation for a possible recommendation to the full council. However, this time he said he wanted to refer the item to the city's administration, which means Mayor Kevin Dumas and Budget and Administration Director …

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City Councilor Praises Gay Marriage Ruling

One of three openly gay elected city officials in Attleboro, Jeremy Denlea is pleased with a federal court panel's decision that the anti-gay Defense of Marriage Act is unconstitutional.

Jeremy Denlea, the Ward 5 representative on the Attleboro City Council, was in a victorious mood Thursday afternoon after the 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Manhattan issued a 2-1 decision that determined the Defense of Marriage Act, commonly known as DOMA, was unconstitutional. Signed into law by President Bill Clinton (who has since denounced it) in 1996, DOMA defines marriage as a union between a man and a woman. The decision on Thursday was the second time a federal appellate panel has struck down the law. Many legal experts say the case, Windsor v. United States, could go before the U.S. Supreme Court. Calling himself "a proud gay man who has been married to the love of my life for over two years now," Denlea contacted …

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Video: Denlea Blesses the Animals

The city councilor and son of a retired Presbyterian minister provides a prayer for the pets.

Attleboro City Councilor Jeremy Denlea provided the blessing of the animals on Saturday at the Friends of Attleboro Animal Shelter's annual Paws for the Cause Petwalk, which took place outside the Attleboro Moose Lodge.  The text of Denlea's blessing came from his father the Rev. E. Peter Denlea, who is a retired Presbyterian minister.

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Jonathan Friedman

10:12 am on Sunday, June 17, 2012

Something was wrong previously. It is up now.   more ›

Letter to Editor

Letter: Thank You, Ward 5

Attleboro resident Jeremy Denlea will be Ward 5 City Councilor beginning in January.

To The Editor:  I would like to thank all of Ward 5 for the confidence that you have placed in me.  I am honored to have been embraced by the Ward 5 community as a whole.  Rich, poor; Caucasian, African-American, Latino, Asian; young and old.  The entire community came out to support me. Thank you for electing me your next Ward 5 City Councilor.   I am grateful to all of Ward 5.  I appreciate the trust you have put in me and I will do my best to make you proud. Jeremy Micah Denlea Ward 5 Councilor-Elect

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Candidates Denlea and White Move on to November Election

A total of 343 voters turned out for the Ward 5 preliminary election.

Attleboro City Council Ward 5 candidates Jeremy Denlea and Duff White will move on to the November election.  Newcomer Jeremey Denlea garnered the most votes with 128 votes, or 37.32 percent, while Duff White was in second with 111, or 32.36 percent of the vote, according to Elections Manager Maryanne Draine. Former City Councilor Jerry Chase had a total of 85 votes. Howard Levine, who dropped out of the race last week, garnered 19 of votes. "I am thrilled tonight to beat an incumbent by 17 votes," Denlea said  after the votes were counted. "I look forward to all the hard work leading up to November." Denlea thanked all of his supporters who came out to vote. "If you look at my victory it is a microcosm of Ward 5 as a whole," he said. "I …

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Candidate Withdraws From Attleboro Preliminary Election

Howard Levine, candidate for Attleboro City Council, Ward 5, has pulled out of the race.

Attleboro candidate Howard Levine has withdrawn his name from the race for Attleboro City Councilor, Ward 5, just one day before a candidates' debate and one week away from the preliminary election.  Levine was running against former City Councilor Jerry Chase and a newcomer, Jeremy Denlea, for a seat in the council chamber horseshoe. The Ward 5 resident attributed his decision to withdraw on medical issues. "I having a medical problem," Levine said. "Because of it I’m lacking getting out there and going door to door. I felt it was the right thing to do at this time." Levine said his medical issue is the only reason for withdrawing from the race. "It has nothing to do with political pressure at all," Levine said. "I think I would have won…

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